September 29, 2008

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Olympic champions of the 2008 Summer Games, led by Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin, along with Team USA will join with some of the biggest names in music for a national network television special, Frosted Pink with a Twist, in an effort to inspire action, celebrate survivorship and encourage women to become advocates for themselves in the fight against cancer.

Paired with these gymnasts will be icons of song, including Grammy-award winner Carole King, Cyndi Lauper and billboard sensations, Natasha Bedingfield and Jesse McCartney, making for a historical event of sports, entertainment, and health awareness. Also appearing will be hip-hop singer and Dancing with the Stars contestant Mario and Kenny Loggins. Cancer survivor Sharon Osbourne will be accepting the Nationwide(R) Insurance Woman of Courage award.

Frosted Pink with a Twist is the anchor event of a multi-year television and multimedia campaign that focuses on educating viewers about cancers that primarily affect women. Co-hosted this year by Olympic Gymnastics Champion Shannon Miller and cancer survivor and Olympic Figure Skating Champion Scott Hamilton, the show will highlight current Olympic champions Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, Paul Hamm, Shannon Miller, and other stars of the men's and women's US Olympic Gymnastics teams.

"Frosted Pink's message is simple, but necessary: we all need to do our part in the fight against women's cancer," said Ms. Miller. "Our hope is that with more information, women will become empowered and become better advocates for their own health."

Raising awareness is especially significant because research continues to find that despite significant improvements in the diagnostic tools and treatment options for women's cancers, many women lack the basic information they need to help protect them from a cancer diagnosis. In fact, a recent Woman's Day magazine survey of nearly 7,000 women found that only 21 percent of respondents believe that they are very knowledgeable about the risk factors associated with cancer even though an overwhelming 90 percent agree that cancer is our nation's biggest healthcare fear. The majority (51 percent) wished they knew where to find credible and reliable information about cancer, justifying the need for more educational efforts like Frosted Pink with a Twist.

Woman's Day, the official media partner of Frosted Pink with a Twist, surveyed 6,534 women on womansday.com to gauge their perspectives, hopes and fears of cancers that primarily affect women. While 76 percent of the respondents disagree or were unsure that cancer is a death sentence, the vast majority (63%) do not believe that they will see a cure for cancer in their lifetime. To learn more about the Woman's Day survey, click here.

And strikingly, even though the American Cancer Society estimates that 1 in 3 women will develop cancer at some point in their lifetime, the majority of respondents (51%) were either unsure or felt it was unlikely that they would get cancer in their lifetime.

"According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), an estimated 260,950 women will be diagnosed in 2008 with a women's cancer in the United States," said co-host Scott Hamilton. "And as a cancer survivor, I understand the need to do a better job providing people with the tools they need to become their own health advocates. We need to take every opportunity to educate as we entertain."

In 2007, the television event paired Grammy award-winning artists, such as Rascal Flatts and Joss Stone, with Olympic Champion women's figure skaters in a unique collaboration of stars from both disciplines. This year, Frosted Pink with a Twist will air nationally on ABC from 4 - 6 pm on Sunday, October 12. The show will re-air on additional cable networks throughout the remainder of the month.

Frosted Pink with a Twist is supported by presenting sponsors Sanofi-Aventis and Wachovia. Cream of Wheat, Five Rivers Winery, Laura Ashley, Merck & Co., Inc., Nationwide Insurance, and Woman's Day magazine have also signed on to support the show and promote the campaign in various ways. To learn more about our sponsors, click here: http://www.frostedpink.org/sponsors/sponsors.html.

To ensure accurate and credible health content throughout the telecast, Frosted Pink with a Twist has also joined with America's most effective patient advocacy organizations: the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (GCF), the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC), the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), and the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance (OCNA). Moreover, the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) have joined the initiative as outreach partners. The result is a united effort of patient groups and professional organizations to broaden the message to millions who are touched by cancers that primarily affect women. To learn more about our partners, click here: http://www.frostedpink.org/partners/partners.html.

In an effort to expand the outreach to women across the country, the following organizations are official Frosted Friends, dedicated to spreading the advocacy and education message of Frosted Pink with Twist: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Blue Thong Society, Coalition of Labor Union Women, Hadassah, National Alliance for Hispanic Health, National Association of Female Executives, National Council of Women's Organizations, National Rural Health Association, National Women's Health Resource Center, Society for Women's Health Research, and the YWCA-USA. To learn more about our Frosted Friends, click here: http://www.frostedpink.org/partners/frostedfriends.html.

Frosted Pink with a Twist is the creation of Mike Burg, CEO of Edge Entertainment and Edge Marketing & Management, who conceived of the Frosted Pink campaign after twice winning the battle against Hodgkin's disease. The Edge companies, based in Charlotte, North Carolina and Los Angeles, California, specialize in entertainment and sports specials for broadcast, Olympic sport arena tours, and representation of Olympic athletes. The Edge broadcast portfolio includes creating the Teen Choice Awards on FOX, the Kids Choice Awards on Nickelodeon, Ice Wars on CBS, Hope Rocks on FOX, and the Action Sports Awards on FOX.

For more information on Frosted Pink with a Twist, visit http://www.frostedpink.org/. For medical information on cancer, visit the patient Web site, Cancer.Net (http://www.cancer.net/), the official clinical cancer information resource for Frosted Pink with a Twist.